Paranoia || ✔

f u r i o u s a t t i t u d e s

The next day is time for school. I don't see the point in going to school now because we have like one month of school left. And we have so much work to do on this house that there's not going to be enough time in a day to go to school, work on the house, and do homework. Also, may I add, extra activities, but I don't have extra activities because I have no life. 

"Can we take the day off today? And for the next month and a half?" I ask mom when I get downstairs. We don't even have our boxes unpacked yet. All the furniture is covered in plastic so when we get to the painting, it doesn't ruin it. We're literally sleeping on air mattresses until we finally get done renovating. No, thank you. 

My parents trade looks and my dad goes back to wiping up the broken pieces of wall off the counter and onto the floor. "Listen, honey. I know it's going to take sometime getting use to...this. But we really need you to go to school. It's important to get your education. If you miss over a month, then who know what you'll get behind on." That's my mom's nice way of saying no. "I'll make it up then. During the summer I'll just study what we missed at school." I say convincingly. She and dad trade looks again. "Fine." She gives in and I see dad behind her go wide eyed. "But if you're staying home, then you might as well do something useful around here. Keep cleaning up the floor in your bedroom, then come downstairs when you're down so we can give you your next task." 

I nod. I'll do whatever I can to stay home from school. I go upstairs with the broom and start sweeping away at the rubble. I sweep all the broken, crumbled pieces into the center of the room, turn around and find Mystery Boy. "Jesus, why do you guys always pop up out of nowhere?" I say, closing my eyes out of me being startled. "You know, we never had a chance to introduce ourselves. I'm Oliver, or as everyone else calls me, Ollie. But I already know who you are." So I don't have to keep calling him Mystery Boy anymore. Thank god. 

"Um, yeah. I'm Adrienne, or as my family calls me, Addie." I say, even though he says he already knows my name. "Addie," he says. "Cute." He walks over to the old dresser and sits on it. "Why are you here?" I ask, almost instantly regretting it. He just laughs. "Why am I here?" He goes from joking to angry in .03 seconds and it scares me. "Because I have no choice. I died here, and I'm trapped here. Just like everybody else." I shake his voice away. "What about Aileen. She didn't die here, did she?" He just chuckles, like I'm stupid. Maybe I am, I don't know the history of this house. "How many people do you think died here?" He asks. "How many people do you think are trapped in this hell? Too many." I want to ask how he died, but I'm too scared. I think he can tell from my face because he settles down. "I'm sorry..the topic is one of the things that make me weak." Then what are the other things? 

I walk down stairs to get the next task from mom, but Oliver stops me half way down the first flight of stairs. "Adrienne." He says quietly, like he doesn't want anyone else to hear. "What ever you do, don't tell anyone about us, got it?" His words make a chill run down my spine and I nod my head. "Good."